El Luchador Mexican Kitchen & Cantina

Southern California, Chef Aaron Bryan was immersed in all of the culture SoCal has to offer. He grew up cooking with his mother, who was a zealous home cook and instilled the passion for food in him at a young age.

Bryan’s love language is food and he spoke to his closest friends and family by feeding them. Shortly after graduating high school, his girlfriend’s mother remarked on his cooking skills and asked if he planned to make a career of it. From one simple question, Bryan reimagined his entire future and made the decision to pursue a career as a chef.

He moved from Southern California to Portland, Ore., to attend the Western Culinary Institute, where he quickly excelled and was afforded the opportunity to work for some of the city’s greatest innovators, ultimately landing him an internship with the Four Seasons Newport Beach. After a year, he was accepted into their sous chef training program before being promoted to assistant banquet chef.

Following a change of ownership at Four Seasons, Bryan decided to test his talents in Las Vegas and relocated, working alongside some of Vegas’ best chefs from Caesars Palace, Charlie Palmer Steak and The Cosmopolitan. With a little inspiration from Rick Bayless and Thomas Ortega, Bryan has returned to his roots as Executive Chef at El Luchador Mexican Kitchen & Cantina, recreating the food he grew up on in Southern California.